Cats in Egypt

Cats in Egypt – nowadays it is impossible to imagine life in Egypt without them. But actually, they were worshipped relatively late. The late period of Ancient Egypt was about 664 to 332 B.C. and only then did the Egyptians begin to regard cats as sacred. As cat lovers would probably have expected, it was the cats themselves that came to people. Since cats are so independent, but at the same time gentle, they welcomed more and more people into their households.

Besides, the cat was very useful for several reasons. Above all, grain belonged to one of the main foods in ancient Egypt. However, it was also loved by mice and rats and the cats offered effective protection against these animals. One reason for the cult of cats as saints was similarly practical, as the temples often had large plagues of mice.

For the cats that lived in the temples, there were cat priests. They cared exclusively for the needs of the felines. Today one has the partial impression that the cat was even placed above the people at this time. Because it was not only a serious crime to kill a cat. In house fires the cat was even saved before the children and when a cat died, the family mourned as if it were a relative. Appropriately, there were even cat cemeteries, especially for all domestic cats.

Also the status in the Egyptian world of gods is quite impressive. For holy cats belonged to none other than the sun god Re. Therefore his eyes were often called described as female cats. The relationship of the cats to the sun is also underlined in their representation. Very often a scarab, the symbol of the sun, is drawn on the head or chest of the animals. Although cats are actually hunters of the night, their relationship is rarely established.

And of course we too love our cats, just like all other cats in the world, this is why we brought presents for the cats in Egypt on a holiday trip.